During her sabbatical Dr. Mayra Lopez-Humphreys, Ph.D., completed her doctoral studies at The CUNY Graduate Center, Social Welfare program. She successfully defended her dissertation entitled, “Intergroup Dialogue: An Evaluation of a Pedagogical Model for Teaching Cultural Competence within a Framework of Social Justice in Social Work Programs.”

In January 2011, Dr. Lopez-Humphreys co-presented at the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR) on the role of sex in perceptions of discrimination among Dominican immigrant women.

She has also led the development and implementation of a community sustainable kitchen which offers affordable, healthy meals from locally grown food produce, while also facilitating the social benefits of preparing and sharing group meals.